Island



(No Model.)

H. I. LEITH. BOTTLE. No. 489,967. Patented Jan. 17, 1893...

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HARVEY I. LEITH, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

BOTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 489,967, dated January17, 1893.

Application filed September 21, 1892. Serial No. 446.409. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARVEY I. LEITH, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Providence, in the county of Providence,State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of a bottle whose contents areguaranteed of a certain quality and which it is desired shall be openedonly by a particular party, or it opened by another party, he shall beobliged to break a seal or in some manner so effect the bottle as toshow that it has been tampered with. It is so constructed that it may beopened to such an extent that small quantities of liquid may be easilyextracted by any one; butit is also arranged so that no one can enterliquid without showing that the bottle has been tampered with.

Theinvention relates to improvements upon former bottles invented by meand set forth in applications filed March 16, 1892, Serial No. 425,098,and entitled bottles, and the other filed June 7, 1892 Serial No.435,876, and entitled bottles, and patents granted to me March 29, 1887,No. 360,102; and August 16, 1887, No. 368,3:5.

In order that the invention may be understood in all its details, theaccompanying drawings are described by reference letters.

Figure l is a vertical section of the complete equipment of any givenbottle. A few details are not in section. Fig. 2 is a section of thevalve provided with the disk for making the same less flexible at theopening. Fig. 3 is a plan of the said valve. Fig. 4E isa side elevationof the means for preventing entrance of liquid through the air conduit.Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the cap to be sealed upon the bottle. Fig.6 is an enlarged elevation of aportion of the valve of the air conduit.Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the perforated cork and the neck of thebottle in which it fits.

The device consists of the combination with the bottle a and its neck11, of a perforated cork c, fitting and fastened therein a detachabletube cl, fitting in said cork and having a flange e, resting thereon,and a second higher Ilangef, upon which is fastened a ring of cork,rubber or similar yielding material; a

valve 72, provided with holes 1', directly over the upper surface of thetube (Z, whereby the same are normally closed; a disk 3', fastened uponcentral portion of said valve and so large as to lap overthc inner edgeof the tube b, whose internal diameter is only about one half as greatat the upper portion as it is at the lower; a protector 7r resting uponsaid disk and consisting simply of a taperingpieco of metal or similarhard substance; a tapering cap Z having the upper central outlet m, andthe lower flange n, which is sealed to the flange 0 of the neck I), by asoft metal collar 1), the cap being provided also with grooves q, forthe admission of air to the interior of the cap; a flexible small rubbertube '1", passing from the interior of cap Z to the interior of thebottle a, through the tube (1; a block 5 fitting within the cap aroundan extension of the tube '1" and just escaping contact with the cap.

The remaining details are as foll0ws:The tube 4' is closed at that endwithin the bottle, but it is slotted with longitudinal cuts t, whichserve as valve openings. The other end of the tube is open to theinterior of the cap.

1 The seal 1) is naturally not air tight, because ;it is metal againstglass. .tween the same, through the grooves q into the interior of thecap Z, through the tube '1',

Air can leak bethrough the valve opening tand into the bottle a. This isthe path of the air at that time when it enters the bottle. Continuouswith one of the grooves q is an air bulb to having a hole u so that bvlacin ones thumb over 7 v p D said hole the entrance of air into thebottle may be more rapid. The block 5, if moistened, would swell andtouch the side of the cap and thereby no liquid could enter the bottlethrough the tube 4. The block may be made of the substance capable ofswelling by absorbing water, such, for example, as whit-e wood. If anybody should try to force an adulterated liquid from the bulb u, into thecap and into the bottle, the block 8 would swell and stop up the tube 1.An inner flange o of the cap Z presses tightly upon the ring g so thatthe upper interior portion of the cap is closed liquid and air tightfrom the lower portion; therefore any liquid in the upper, or valvechest does not touch the block 3. In order to prevent any tampering withthe valve h throughthe exit of the cap Z, a piece of metal 70, servingas a protector rests upon the disk j. If a wire were introduced throughthe opening m so as to injure the valve hit would be effectually stoppedby the protector k.

The complete operation of the device is as followsz-Any bottle a isprovided with a cork c which has such an external diameter that it willfit the particular bottlein question. It may have other externaldiameters for the purpose of fitting other bottles. The internaldiameter is such in all cases that it will hold tightly the tube d. Whena bottle is inverted the liquid w stretches the valve h, and passesthrough the holest' and m, While air enters the bottle, to take theplace of the liquid, through the openings 25 in the tube 1'. Tlhe valveh stretches because it is made of soft rubber and because of the weightof the liquid w. It may be, that one may desire to introduce anadulterated liquid, or cheaper liquid, but it is practically impossibleto do so without a visible inj ury to the device. The seal could beremoved, and the cap also; but the ordinary purchaser of the bottlecould not replace the seal, without the special tools and materials formaking the seal. If he should try to introduce liquid through thegrooves q, without removing the seal, the block 3 would swell and stopup the tube 1'.

The protector 71; is a piece of hard smooth material such as glasstapering upward, and loose Within the cap l, and resting on the valveit. Its shape, otherwise is of no consequence. It is shown as havinglateral ribs which prevent stoppage of the mouth on when the bottle isinverted. The protector serves to prevent tampering, with the delicatemembranous valve with a wire which might be thrust through the hole 121.

The slots 2. serve as valves and consist simply of longitudinal cuts inthe soft rubber tube r. When the liquid is removed, a partial vacuum isformed and the greater external pressure of the air forces some airthrough the slots by opening them wider, but no liquid can pass from thebottle to the interior of the tube 0".

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with the neck of a bottle andwith a ring fitting therein, of a detachable tube cl, an immovable capinclosing the valve and located over the said tube, a seal connectingthe cap to the bottle, and a conduit or air passage connecting theinterior of the bottle With the outside atmosphere.

2. The combination with the neck of a bottle of a yielding ring fittingtightly therein, a dedetachable tube fitting in said ring and normallyclosed by a valve, a perforated cap over the valve and sealed to saidbottle, and an air bulb to, having air communications with the interiorof the bottle.

3. The combination with the neck of a bottle and with a ring fittingtherein, of a detachable tube d, a valve upon and closing the outer endthereof, a cap over the valve, a seal connecting the cap to the bottle,a tube r having slots, within the interior of the bottle and extendingthrough and beyond said tube, a porous block 8 fitted on the end of saidtube r and against the neck of the bottle, and all but touching the saidcap,and means for closing hermetically that portion of the interior ofthe cap containing the valve from that portion containing the blocks.

4. The combination of a'bottle, a valve closing the mouth thereof andconsisting of a perforated flexible sheet, a disk fastened upon thesheet and overlapping the edge of said mouth, aperforated cap over thevalve and containing a protector which normally rests upon said disk.

5. The combination with a bottle, ofa yielding ring 0 fastened in theneck thereof, a detachable tube d fittingin said ring, a tapering caphaving a mouth on at the upper or smaller portion and a flange n at thelarger end, having grooves q and resting against the flange 0 on theneck I) of the bottle, a flangefon the upper end of the tube d, andcarrying a yielding shoulder'o in the cap and pressing upon said ring g,a valve 7?, covering the mouth of tube cl, a seal 19 connecting the capto the flange o non-hermetically, a tube 1' having slots 25 closed atone end Within the bottle, and extending through the tube d,into thatportion of the interior of the cap below the flange f, a poroussubstance surrounding the extension of the tube 1" and all but incontactv With the inner surface of the cap, and an air bulb u connectingWith the interior of the bottle through the grooves q and tube r.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 14th day of Septernber, 1892.

HARVEY I. LEITH.

